Magnetic device mount

ABSTRACT

A mounting assembly for transferring electrical power to an inductively powered device is contemplated, with a plurality of magnets positioned inside the mounting assembly includes for magnetically attracting and retaining the inductively powered device against a face plate, and for axially aligning the inductive power receiver of the inductive powered device with the inductive coil assembly inside the mounting assembly. A mounting support member is attached to the back plate of the mounting housing with adjustable joint for adjusted the orientation of the mounting housing relative to the mounting support member. The magnets retain the inductively powered device against the face plate and in the correct orientation with the inductive coil assembly even against forces which would otherwise disturb the inductive coupling, permitting use of the mounting assembly to transfer power in non-horizontal orientations and in moving vehicles.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to the field of mobile deviceaccessories. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to devicemounts for inductive power transfer.

2. Related Art

Inductive power transfer, also referred to as wireless power transfer,is a technique used in the conveyance of power to electrically powereddevices without interconnecting wires. Inductive power transfer operatesby a passing an alternating current (AC) through a transmitting coil inorder to create a localized oscillating magnetic field. When a receivingcoil is placed proximally and, for the most optimal transfer, in anorientation in axial alignment with transmitting coil, the oscillatingmagnetic field induces an AC current in the receiving coil.

Inductive power transfer has been used for transferring power for thepurpose of charging the rechargeable batteries of commercial products,especially in situations where the presence of exposed metallicconnectors may result in a risk of electrical shock to consumers, suchas with bathroom appliances like electrical toothbrushes or electricshavers. Other applications for inductive charging include, for example,the charging or powering of electronic medical devices such as cochlearimplants, which may eliminate the need for the placement of physicalwires through the skin.

In more recent years, with the growing ubiquity of portable electronicdevices such as smartphone and tablets, there is expanding consumerdemand for the use of inductive power transfer as a method of chargingthese portable electronic devices. Inductive chargers, typically seen inthe form of pads on which the device to be charged may be placed,provides a great convenience benefit in that the user need only placethe device to be charged atop the inductive charger. Furthermore, theseinductive chargers, because they rely only on the general principles ofelectromagnetics, do not require the use of a proprietary power cordthat may be specific to the standards of a single manufacturer orgeographic region, and instead may be used to charge any device that hasa corresponding receiver coil. Thus, a user may use the same inductivecharger to transfer power to multiple devices seamlessly, merely byremoving one device from placement atop the inductive charger.

However, inductive chargers suffer from several deficiencies.General-purpose inductive chargers, typically pads, are generally onlysuitable for static use, as they require placement atop a flat surface.As such, they are not suitable for situations such as automotivecharging, where the motion of the automobile would negate the advantagesof the charger's general purpose capability Likewise, inductive chargersthat have systems for securing the device to be inductively charged, soas to permit use in situations such as in a moving vehicle, generallyhave their purposes defeated as well, because the convenience advantageof the inductive charger over a direct electrical connection is negatedby the need to spend significant time physically securing the device tobe charged to the inductive charger, and because the attachment schemesmay themselves be propriety to the device to be charged, thus defeatingthe advantage of interchangeable use of different devices.

Therefore, novel device mounts for inductively charging portableelectronic devices are desirable.

BRIEF SUMMARY

To solve these and other problems, a mounting assembly for aninductively powered device having an inductive power receiver and atleast a magnetically receptive portion, the mounting assembly comprisinga mounting housing comprising an face plate, a back plate, and amounting plate between the face plate and the back plate, a mountingsupport member attached to the back plate of the mounting housing, themounting support member having an adjustable joint for adjusting theorientation of the mounting housing, a plurality of magnets attached tothe mounting plate for magnetically attracting the a magneticallyreceptive portion of the inductively powered device and retaining theinductively powered device against the face plate at substantially allorientations of the mounting housing, and an inductive coil assemblyattached to the mounting plate and electrically connectable to a powersupply, the inductive coil assembly being operative to inductivelycouple with the inductive power receiver of the inductively powereddevice and transmit power thereto when the inductively powered device isretained against the face plate by the plurality of magnets.

The face plate of the mounting assembly may have an elastomeric frontsurface that may comprise silicone rubber. The plurality of magnetsattached to the mounting plate may comprise four neodymium magnets. Theindividual ones of plurality of magnets may be disc magnets. Theindividual ones of the plurality of disc magnets may have a diameter of10 mm and a height of 3 mm.

The individual ones of the plurality of magnets may have a pull force ofat least 1 kg, and may have a pull force of at least 1.5 kg. Theplurality of magnets may have a collective pull force of at least 4 kg,and may have a pull force of at least 6 kg.

The plurality of magnets and the inductive coil maybe otherwisecontained within the mounting housing in lieu of attachment to amounting plate between the face plate and the back plate of the mountinghousing, and the mounting plate may be omitted.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of the various embodimentsdisclosed herein are better understood with respect to the followingdescriptions and drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is perspective view of a mounting assembly according to anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a top view of a mounting assembly according to the exemplaryembodiment;

FIG. 3 is a left side view of mounting assembly according to theexemplary embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a front view of mounting assembly according to the exemplaryembodiment;

FIG. 5 is a right side view of mounting assembly according to theexemplary embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of mounting assembly according to the exemplaryembodiment; and

FIG. 7 is a cutaway view of a mounting plate according to the exemplaryembodiment.

Common reference numerals are used throughout the drawings and thedetailed description to indicate the same elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

According to various aspects of the present disclosure, a mountingassembly for transferring electrical power to an inductively powereddevice is contemplated in which a housing of the mounting assemblyincludes a plurality of magnets for magnetically attracting andretaining the inductively powered device against the face plate of thehousing, and maintaining an axial alignment of the inductive powerreceiver of the inductive powered device relative to the inductive coilassembly within the mounting assembly. A mounting support member isattached to the back plate of the mounting housing and has an adjustablejoint for adjusted the orientation of the mounting housing relative tothe point of external attachment or contact of the mounting supportmember. The attraction between the magnets and the magneticallyreceptive portion retains the inductively powered device against theface plate and in the correct orientation with the inductive coilassembly against the forces which would otherwise disturb the inductivecoupling, such as the force of gravity when the face plate of themounting housing is not horizontally oriented, or the vibrational andinertial forces that are present when inside a moving vehicle.

Turning now to FIG. 1, a mounting assembly 10 is shown having a mountinghousing 12 with a face plate 14 and a back plate 16. A mounting supportmember 18 having an adjustable joint 20 for adjusting the orientation ofthe mounting housing 12 is attached to the back plate 16. Protruding outof the rear of the back plate 16 is a power cable 22 that iselectrically connectable to a power supply.

In the exemplary embodiment, the external surface of the face plate 14may be formed primarily of an elastomeric compound. It may be seen thatvia the use of an elastomeric compound, the force of the inductivelypowered device contacting the external surface of the face plate 14 maybe more efficiently absorbed so as to reduce the possibility of anydamage to the inductively powered device when it becomes adhered to theface plate 14 via magnetic attraction. The face plate 14 may be entirelyformed of the elastomeric compound, or the elastomeric compound may be acoating on the external surface of the face plate 14. In the exemplaryembodiment, the elastomeric compound is silicone rubber. However, it maybe seen that in other embodiments which utilize an elastomeric compoundin forming or coating part or all of the face plate, other elastomericcompounds may be used, including but not limited to synthetic compoundssuch as isoprene rubber, butadiene rubber, neoprene, or even compoundssuch as natural rubber. However, it may also be seen that the use of anelastomeric compound on the external surface of the face plate 14 is notnecessary, and the face plate 14 may be constructed of any suitablematerial which is capable of forming the face plate 14, with the provisothat the use of ferromagnetic materials such as alloys of iron ornickel, or any other material that may be prone to interact with thepropagation of an electromagnetic field therethrough may possibly bedisfavored, as the use of such materials may interfere with the magneticattraction and inductive coupling of the inductively powered device withthe mounting assembly.

In the exemplary embodiment, the back plate 16 is formed primarily of apolycarbonate material. However, it may be seen that in otherembodiments, the back plate 16 may be constructed of any suitablematerial which is capable of forming the face plate 14, with the provisothat the use of ferromagnetic materials such as alloys of iron ornickel, or any other material that may be prone to interact with anelectromagnetic field may possibly be disfavored, as the use of suchmaterials may interfere with the magnetic attraction and inductivecoupling of the inductively powered device with the mounting assembly.

In the exemplary embodiment, the mounting support member 18 comprises aproximal portion 26 attached to the back plate 16, a distal portion 28which serves as a point of external contact or attachment for themounting assembly 10, and an adjustable joint 20 connecting the proximalportion 26 to the distal portion 28. However, it may be seen that themounting support member may comprise and be comprised of any structureor structures which may bear the mounting housing 12 and vary theorientation of the mounting housing 12. For example, the mountingsupport member 18 may omit a substantial distal portion, and insteadhave the adjustable joint be at the back plate 16. Alternatively, themounting support member may comprise a plurality of adjustable joints 20and multiple portions between the joints, to confer additionaladjustability of the mounting support member.

The adjustable joint 20 may be, in the exemplary embodiment, a singleball joint in order to permit rotational adjustment of the orientationof the mounting housing 12. However, it may be seen that the one or moreadjustable joints 20 may be, in other embodiments, more or lessarticulable and with more or less degrees of freedom in individual or inthe aggregate than a single ball joint, and may include, for example butwithout limitation, knuckle joints, revolute joints, screw joints, orother joints known in the art, or combinations thereof.

The distal support member 28 may, in the exemplary embodiment, terminatein a suction cup, which may be seen as achieving the benefit of enablingreversible adherence of the mounting assembly 10 to a smooth surfacesuch as a tabletop or a vehicle windshield. However, in otherembodiments, it may be seen that the distal support member may terminatein or with other attachment or otherwise support features which mayenable the support of the mounting assembly in free space where itsorientation may be adjusted, such as ring clamps, adhesives, hook andloop fasteners, a load-bearing surface, screws, nails, or even seamlessintegration with a larger object, such as being formed as a portion of avehicle dashboard. The specifics of how the mounting assembly 10 issupported at the distal end of the mounting support member 28 is notcritical to the functionality of the mounting assembly 10, so long asthe mounting support member is supported in some way so as to enable theadjusting of the adjustable joint so as to adjust the orientation of themounting housing 12 in free space.

The mounting assembly 10 may, in the exemplary embodiment, include apower cable 22 extending through the back plate 16 for transmittingpower from a power supply to the interior of the mounting housing wherethe inductive coil assembly resides. However, it may be seen that inother embodiments, the power cable 22 may extend through or past otherportions of the mounting housing 12. For example, but withoutlimitation, the power cable 22 may be integrated with or within themounting support member 18, or even may be omitted entirely, such as ina situation where the mounting assembly 10 may be configured with aninternal power source such as one or more batteries. The presence orabsence of a power cable 22 is not critical to the functionality of themounting assembly 10, so long as the inductive coil assembly iselectrically connectable to a power supply in some fashion.

The face plate 14 of the mounting housing 12 may be, in the exemplaryembodiment, retained against the mounting housing 12 by a retainingbracket 24 and an adhesive. However, in other embodiments, it may beseen that the presence of a dedicated retaining bracket 24 may not benecessary for retaining the face plate 14, and that the face plate 14may be otherwise retained by, or integrated into the remainder of themounting housing 12.

Turning now to FIGS. 2-6, various views of the mounting housing 12 ofthe exemplary embodiment of the mounting assembly 10 are shown. It isfurther emphasized, however, that the depicted mounting housing 12 ofthe exemplary embodiment is merely exemplary, and does not limit thescope of the disclosure.

Turning now to FIG. 7, a view a mounting plate 30 of the exemplaryembodiment located within the mounting housing and disposed between theface plate 14 and the back plate 16 is shown. In the exemplaryembodiment, an inductive coil assembly 32 and a plurality of magnets 36are attached to the mounting plate 30. In the exemplary embodiment, theinductive coil assembly 32 is attached to the mounting plate 30 via aplurality of mounting brackets 34. However, it may be seen that in otherembodiments, the inductive coil assembly 32 may be attached to themounting plate 30 in other ways, such as adhesive, screws, tape, orotherwise. In the exemplary embodiment, the mounting plate 30 is formedprimarily of a polycarbonate material. However, it may be seen that inother embodiments, the mounting plate 30 may be constructed of anysuitable material which is capable of forming the mounting plate 30,with the proviso that the use of ferromagnetic materials such as alloysof iron or nickel, or any other material that may be prone to interactwith an electromagnetic field may possibly be disfavored, as the use ofsuch materials may interfere with the magnetic attraction and inductivecoupling of the inductively powered device with the mounting assembly10.

Further, it may be seen that the presence of the mounting plate 30 isnot strictly necessary, in that while it may serve to support anddirectly locate the inductive coil assembly 32 and the plurality ofmagnets 34 behind the face plate 14 whereupon they may both interactwith a inductively powered device having at least a magneticallyreceptive portion, the inductive coil assembly 32 and the plurality ofmagnets 34 may be located within the mounting housing 12 in any fashionso long as inductive coil 32 may inductively couple with the inductivepower receiver of a inductively powered device placed in contact withthe face plate while the inductively powered device is retained againstthe face plate by the plurality of magnets 36. For example, in analternative embodiment, one or both of the inductive coil assembly 32and the plurality of magnets may be located on the interior surface ofthe face plate 14 or the back plate 16.

The inductive coil assembly 32 may be, for example and withoutlimitation, formed of any coil of any conductive material which mayinduce inductive coupling with the inductive power receiver of aninductively powered device. In the exemplary embodiment, the inductivecoil assembly 32 is formed as a coil embedded with a printed circuitboard, and is controlled by the printed circuit board. However, it maybe seen that the exact details of the inductive coil assembly 32 mayvary and still fall within the scope of the present disclosure, so longas it may induce inductive coupling with the inductive power receiver ofan inductively powered device that is placed and retained against theface plate 14 of the mounting housing 12.

In the exemplary embodiment, the plurality of magnets 36 is retainedagainst the mounting plate 30 by a magnet plate 38 disposed over theplurality of magnets 36 and held against the mounting plate 30 with ascrew. However, it may be seen that in other embodiments, the pluralityof magnets 36 may be retained against the mounting plate 30 or retainedat other locations within the mounting housing 12, such as against theinterior surfaces of the face plate 14 or the back plate 16, in otherways. For example, but without limitation, the individual ones of theplurality of magnets 36 may be glued by or encased within an adhesive,or structurally integrated within other components of the mountinghousing 12.

It may be seen that in the exemplary embodiment, the individual ones ofthe plurality of magnets 36 are positioned adjacent to one another.However, it may be seen that in other embodiments, the plurality ofmagnets 36 may be positioned dispersed and/or non-adjacently, such asaround the periphery of the mounting housing 12. The exact positioningof the plurality of magnets 36 is not critical to the disclosure, exceptthat the positioning be such that the magnets are configured tomagnetically attract one or more magnetically receptive portions of aninductively powered device and retain the inductively powered deviceagainst the face plate 14 at substantially all orientations of themounting housing to which it may be adjusted by the adjustable joint 20.For example, the magnetically receptive portion of the inductivelypowered device may be all or substantial portions of the inductivelypowered device itself, or may be a separate component attached to theinductively powered device, such as a third party peripheral like aprotective case. In such cases, it may be beneficial for the third partyperipheral to be sold to be compatible with the specific orientation ofthe plurality of magnets 36 and the inductive coil assembly 32, so thatthe inductively powered device will be maximally adhered to the faceplate 14 via attraction to the plurality of magnets 36 when theinductive power received is axially aligned with the inductive coilassembly 32. Further, it may be seen that the inductive coil assemblymay likewise be either an integrated component with the inductivelypowered device, or may be a third party peripheral such as a case thatis physically attachable and electrically connectible to the inductivelypowered device.

It may further be seen that the use of a plurality of magnets 36 isimportant, because by the presence a plurality of magnets 36, as opposedto a single magnet, will tend to prevent rotation of the inductivelypowered device along the plane of the face plate 14, and thus willpotentially result in the inductive coil assembly 32 not or no longerbeing aligned with the inductive power receiver, thus preventing orreducing the inductive coupling between the two components.

In the exemplary embodiment, the plurality of magnets 36 are fourneodymium magnets, which are permanent rare-earth magnets made from analloy of neodymium, iron, and boron having a Nd₂Fe₁₄B tetragonalcrystalline structure. However, in other embodiments it may be seen thatthe plurality of magnets 36 may other types of magnets, including forexample, permanent magnets such as rare earth magnets, sinteredcomposite magnets, or ferrimagnets, or temporary magnets such aselectromagnets, which may, for example, be powered by same power supplyas the inductive coil assembly 32, or combinations thereof. The exactidentity of the individual ones of the plurality of magnets 36 is notcrucial, so long as the plurality of magnets 36 may serve to retain theinductively powered device against the face plate 14 at substantiallyall orientations of the magnet housing 12.

In the exemplary embodiment, the individual ones of the plurality ofmagnets 36 are disc magnets. However, it may be seen that other shapesof magnets may be utilized without departing from the scope and spiritof the present disclosure, including, for example and withoutlimitation, bars, squares, or spheres, or combinations thereof. In theexemplary embodiment, the disc magnets each of have a diameter of 10 mmand a height of 3 mm. However, it may be seen that in embodiments whichutilize disc magnets, those disc magnets may vary in size.

The strength of the individual ones of the plurality of magnets 36 ismeasured as the pull force. The pull force is the normal force requiredto detach a magnet from a work load surface formed of 1018 cold rolledsteel ASTM A794 that is large enough for the magnet-working surface tomake 100% contact and thick enough to absorb all lines of magnetic fluxemanating from the magnet. In the exemplary embodiment, the individualones of the plurality of magnets 36 are N35 neodymium magnets, whichhave a pull force of 1.6 kg, and thus the four N35 neodymium magnetstogether have a collective pull force of 6.4 kg. However, it may be seenthat in other embodiments, the individual ones of the plurality ofmagnets 36 may have more or less pull force than those used in theexemplary embodiment, and may collectively have more or less pull forcethan the four magnets used in the exemplary embodiment. For example, theindividual ones of the plurality of magnets 36 may have a pull force ofat least 1 kg, or at least 1.5 kg. Likewise, the plurality of magnets 36may have a collective pull force of at least 4 kg, or at least 6 kg.

The above description is given by way of example, and not limitation.Given the above disclosure, one skilled in the art could devisevariations that are within the scope and spirit of the inventiondisclosed herein. Further, the various features of the embodimentsdisclosed herein can be used alone, or in varying combinations with eachother and are not intended to be limited to the specific combinationdescribed herein. Thus, the scope of the claims is not to be limited bythe exemplary embodiments.

What is claimed is:
 1. A mounting assembly for an inductively powereddevice having an inductive power receiver and at least a magneticallyreceptive portion, the mounting assembly comprising: a mounting housingcomprising a face plate, a back plate, and a mounting plate between theface plate and the back plate; a mounting support member attached to theback plate of the mounting housing, the mounting support member havingan adjustable joint for adjusting the orientation of the mountinghousing; a plurality of magnets attached to the mounting plate formagnetically attracting at least the magnetically receptive portion ofthe inductively powered device and retaining the inductively powereddevice against the face plate at substantially all orientations of themounting housing; and an inductive coil assembly attached to themounting plate and electrically connectable to a power supply, theinductive coil assembly being operative to inductively couple with theinductive power receiver of the inductively powered device and transmitpower thereto when the inductively powered device is retained againstthe face plate by the plurality of magnets.
 2. The mounting assembly ofclaim 1, wherein the face plate has an elastomeric front surface.
 3. Themounting assembly of claim 1, wherein the elastomeric front surface ofthe face plate comprises silicone rubber.
 4. The mounting assembly ofclaim 1, wherein the plurality of magnets attached to the mounting platecomprise four neodymium magnets.
 5. The mounting assembly of claim 1,wherein the individuals ones of the plurality of magnets attached to themounting plate are disc magnets.
 6. The mounting assembly of claim 5,wherein the individual ones of the plurality of neodymium magnets have adiameter of 10 mm and a height of 3 mm.
 7. The mounting assembly ofclaim 1, wherein the individual ones of the plurality of magnets have apull force of at least 1 kg.
 8. The mounting assembly of claim 1,wherein the individual ones of the plurality of magnets have a pullforce of at least 1.5 kg.
 9. The mounting assembly of claim 1, whereinthe plurality of magnets attached to the mounting plate have acollective pull force of at least 4 kg.
 10. The mounting assembly ofclaim 1, wherein the plurality of magnets attached to the mounting platehave a collective pull force of at least 6 kg.
 11. A mounting assemblyfor an inductively powered device having an inductive power receiver andat least a magnetically receptive portion, the mounting assemblycomprising: a mounting housing comprising an face plate and a backplate; a mounting support member attached to the back plate of themounting housing, the mounting support member having an adjustable jointfor adjusting the orientation of the mounting housing; a plurality ofmagnets contained within the mounting housing for magneticallyattracting at least the magnetically receptive portion of theinductively powered device and retaining the inductively powered deviceagainst the face plate at substantially all orientations of the mountinghousing; an inductive coil assembly within the mounting housing andelectrically connectable to a power supply, the inductive coil assemblybeing operative to inductively couple with the inductive power receiverof the inductively powered device and transmit power thereto when theinductively powered device is retained against the face plate by theplurality of magnets.
 12. The mounting assembly of claim 11, wherein theface plate has an elastomeric front surface.
 13. The mounting assemblyof claim 11, wherein the elastomeric front surface of the face platecomprises silicone rubber.
 14. The mounting assembly of claim 11,wherein the plurality of magnets attached to the mounting plate comprisefour neodymium magnets.
 15. The mounting assembly of claim 11, whereinthe individual ones of the plurality of magnets attached to the mountingplate are disc magnets.
 16. The mounting assembly of claim 16, whereinthe individual ones of the plurality of magnets have a diameter of 10 mmand a height of 3 mm.
 17. The mounting assembly of claim 11, wherein theindividual ones of the plurality of magnets have a pull force of atleast 1 kg.
 18. The mounting assembly of claim 11, wherein theindividual ones of the plurality of magnets have a pull force of atleast 1.5 kg.
 19. The mounting assembly of claim 11, wherein theplurality of magnets attached to the mounting plate have a collectivepull force of at least 4 kg.
 20. The mounting assembly of claim 11,wherein the plurality of magnets attached to the mounting plate have acollective pull force of at least 6 kg.